A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Engineering in Information Management, School of Engineering and Technology

Thesis (M. Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology,2020

On-Demand Services (ODS) connects service providers to consumers on a platform facili tating the immediate supply of goods or services at the request of the consumers. The tech nology has disrupted traditional industries of transportation, accommodation, health, supply chain and delivery services by providing the right service at the right time. The objective of the study was to develop a conceptual model for on-demand services{u2019} niche market imple mentation. Previous studies have introduced the models for ODS and niche markets. This study has integrated the components of these models and included the strategies and success variables for ODS niche markets to develop a general ODS niche market model. Expert in terviews were conducted with academicians and platform owners from different industries like food delivery, transportation and travel and hospitality to validate the model and priori tise the strategies and success variables. Another objective of the study was to illustrate the general model through a ride hailing application for women. A specific model was proposed and validated by experts followed by a questionnaire survey. The survey result was used to prioritise the strategies and success variables in the specific model. Safety and security proved to be the most important to maintain perceived trust on the service. The features of a prototype application were designed based on the finalised specific model. The applica tion was developed using a prototyping tool and shared with users to collect feedback on whether it was in line with the success variables listed in the model. The general and specific model and the prototype application can be used as a reference by academic and business community for implementing other niche market solutions for other ODS applications.